The weekend read: Chile’s energy transition and the crucial election
Chile continues to lead the energy transition in Latin America, but international investors are nervous. The pandemic is subsiding, thanks to a vaccination rate close to 80%, and energy demand is showing signs of recovery. However, the political landscape still has investors on edge, reports Luisa Cabello.
The Hydrogen Stream: New fuel cell tech for uncrewed ships, and a solar-powered hydrogen valley in southern Italy
A printed circuit board-based hydrogen fuel cell for use in autonomous boats and ships has been engineered by a British consortium, and Italian energy companies Snam and Edison want to set up a 220 MW green hydrogen production plant powered by 380 MW of solar in Apulia.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Work begins on 3.3 GW solar-CSP project linked to 500 MW of storage, in Qinghai
China Green Development Group is building a giant project consisting of 3 GW of photovoltaics and 300 MW of concentrating solar power. The plant is scheduled for completion in 2025 and is part of China’s 14th five-year plan.
Sungrow supplies ‘Thailand’s largest floating solar plant’
The Chinese inverter company said the dam-hosted 58.5 MW project in northeastern Thailand was connected to the grid this month.
Flexible organic PV films on clothing offer charging on the move
The sustainability claims of a crowdfunded ‘e-textile’ range launched by Art by Physicist are borne out by the fact each garment will be printed on demand.
Romanian coal provider has 725 MW of PV under development
CE Oltenia wants to build eight solar parks at three of its coal power plants and five of its coal mining sites by 2026. This new capacity should replace installed power from coal that the company wants to shut down over the next five years.
Heat pumps can be standalone solutions even in cold climates
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) showed, through a pilot incentive program, that whole-home heat pumps are a feasible solution for heating when switching from gas. Project costs, however, were found to be higher than expected.
Myanmar extends deadline for 1 GW PV tender
Through the procurement exercise, the government wants to build ground-mounted solar power projects on an independent power producer (IPP), and build-own-operate (BOO) basis.
India unveils largest floating solar plant to date
A 25 MW project has been installed at the Simhadri thermal power station run by state-owned power company NTPC on the coast of Andhra Pradesh.
France’s second largest PV plant comes online
Built by French developer TSE, the facility has a capacity of 152 MW and is located in Marville, in northeastern France.
